
Funding for science, evaluation, IT systems at universities and a summary of the committee's work were the main topics of the Conference of Rectors of Polish Universities (KRUP), which took place on September 26, 2025, at the University of Łódź. The meeting was chaired by the Rector of the University of Gdańsk and Chairman of KRUP, prof. Piotr Stepnowski.
As this was the first meeting of the Conference of Rectors of Polish Universities (KRUP) after the summer holidays and the first in the coming academic year, at the beginning, Chairman Prof. Piotr Stepnowski summarised the activities undertaken by KRUP in the past academic year. He noted that the Conference is actively supported by several committees, which have prepared a total of 17 resolutions, including several particularly important ones addressed to the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. He also emphasised the significant role of KRUP in legislative consultations and issuing opinions on legal acts, citing as an example the position on the phenomenon of so-called paper mills.
The Rector of the University of Gdańsk pointed out that the voice of the universities grouped in KRUP, although often different from the opinions of technical or medical universities, is an important element of academic debate and contributes to balance in discussions on science policy in Poland.
The rectors also familiarised themselves with the activities of the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland in the past year, which were presented by the Chair of KRASP and Rector of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Prof. Bogumiła Kaniewska, concerning, among other things, the visa law and the regulation on language proficiency testing. Prof. Bogumiła Kaniewska also referred to the Polish-Turkish Rectors' Forum, during which KRASP was represented by the Rector of the University of Gdańsk, prof. Piotr Stepnowski.
During the meeting, the rectors of the classical universities belonging to the conference also discussed the future of the system of financing science and higher education. The Director of the Budget and Finance Department of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Jarosław Oliwa, presented the budget outlook, emphasising that no reduction in subsidies for universities is currently expected in 2026. The Director also pointed to, among other things, the planned support for universities through bonds and the potential involvement of Polish companies in research funding.
An important point of the meeting was the presentation of a new evaluation model, the assumptions of which were presented by the Chairman of KRUP. The project provides for the division of the evaluation system into two pillars and the introduction of new minimum staffing requirements for doctoral and habilitation qualifications. The rectors emphasised the need for broad consultation and increased autonomy for universities in the awarding of academic degrees.
The Chairman of KRUP also reported on his visit to Ankara for the Polish-Turkish Rectors' Forum, where opportunities for cooperation in areas such as cybersecurity, biotechnology, modern medical techniques, exploration of marine resources and the humanities were discussed. He pointed to the high level of funding for science in Turkey and the potential for further academic cooperation, while also noting the worrying downward trend in student and scientific exchanges between Poland and Turkey.
Later in the meeting, participants were briefed on the activities of the Inter-University Centre for Computerisation (MUCI) for the development of the USOS system, which currently serves almost 600,000 students, and on the project of an integrated HR and payroll system, implemented at the University of Łódź in cooperation with the University of Opole and the University of Gdańsk.
The meeting in Łódź was also an opportunity to summarise the work of the KRUP committees in the 2024/2025 academic year. The activities of the University Finance Committee, the University Science Committee, and the University Education Committee, and a report on the activities of the University Internationalisation Committee was presented by its Chair and Vice-Rector for Cooperation and Internationalisation at the University of Gdańsk, dr hab. Anna Jurkowska-Zeidler, prof. UG.
At the end of the meeting, Prof. Piotr Stepnowski thanked the committee members and all participants for their active cooperation. He emphasised that the intensive activity of KRUP provides important support for rectors and the entire academic community, and that joint activities allow for more effective efforts to secure the future of higher education in Poland.
